Ooh my God. This is so hard! I have some Sirius oh, uh, I mean serious trouble making an accurate storyline in later chapters! But I will keep on fighting 'cause it just has to be perfect!
For now, a little more Sirius trouble.. And you have no idea how long it took me to write this chapter.
You know the rest, I love VampiressBlack and Shout in a Whisper more than ever and of course everyone who reviewed or added this story as a favourite or alert (though I like the ones who reviewed a little more..)! I hope you enjoy the story! Thanks for reviewing: VampiressBlack (ofcourse), LoverFaery & LittleAnastasia
For adding as a favourite: AKBookGirl & Annelili
For adding as an alert: AKBookGirl, Celdria, heiressofanor, LoverFaery, mrsjackturner, Rue-the_Marauder
Chapter 2: Sirius trouble.
He didn't sleep very well that night. He couldn't help thinking over and over again why he had thought it a good decision to hire a Black. To get them in control? It was a ridiculous thought. He could hear the servant gasp in his head time after time. A gasp that would probably rush through his estate right now as the news would spread. He hired a Black. Well actually he hadn't just yet, but Mrs. Black didn't seem like someone you'd politely refuse something to without some kind of vengeance. If they just had stayed on the Slytherin estate… Eventually he dozed off in a restless sleep, accompanied by memories he hadn't had for years.
The ropes cut his pale skin. Tears. The child was crying. 'Please let me go. Please.' He pleaded. But he was shown no mercy. Sharp nails grasped the skinny arm and broke through the skin. The little boy whined and hang in the ropes as blood trickled down his pale flesh… 'Please.'He woke up in sweat and tears hours later but had not much time to think it over as the door flung open and he was greeted by that always optimistic sound of restless feet entering his room.
'You just won't believe what happened to me this morning!' The young servant jerked open the curtains and Remus smiled. The cheery voice of his friend chased away his nightmares with one single sentence. He stretched his stressed limbs. 'No, but I'm sure you're about to tell me.'
'Well, I was at the market, fetching you something delicious for breakfast when this woman came up to me. She asked me, seriously, hear this. If it is true you are woman!' He snorted. 'I immediately had this bizarre vision of you in a dress so I started laughing and blurted out that I was very sure that I could tell her first hand you are a man. That didn't really work out as I had planned and she shot me a weeeeird glare! So I quickly added that I love Lilyflowers, but that didn't seem to convince her of what I meant either.' He placed a plate with breakfast at the little table near the bed and sank down on the blankets, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'I think I can guess what the next rumour is going to be. ' Remus tried to take a sip of his drink but failed miserably as he still was laughing to hard. The spectacled boy hit him on the back with his free hand until Remus calmed down and started his breakfast.
A few minutes and a lot market gossip from his servant later, the young Duke had finished his meal, with indeed some delicious fresh fruit, and stretched his limbs once more before getting out of bed.
He didn't feel like taking a bath this morning and just settled for a quick wash in between which the servant boy picked out some clothes.
'Well, we better get going, don't we?' The spectacled boy brought up, knowing the duke was deliberately postponing getting dressed, slightly anxious about the fact he was probably about to hire a Black. Perhaps he should've taken a bath.. With a deep sigh he buttoned his waistcoat and walked through the door.
He could feel his heart beating. Not really out of fright for the woman but because of curiosity about her son. He knew quite some people from his estate, but he couldn't remember ever seeing this young man, Sirius Black. A man he would probably going to see around on his land a more often. If he decided to hire him.
As he set down, his other servant opened the door trough which his leaseholders could enter the safe and secured room. The little, chubby man lead a dark-haired, bossy looking woman. She seemed to completely fill the room with her air.
The woman had the same arrogant air as she had the day before. She walked straight towards the curtain, kneeled shortly and waited to be addressed to. But the Duke almost forgot she was there when his eye got caught by, he assumed, her son. The boy had followed her in a slower pace and only now reached the curtain and kneeled, black curls falling before his eyes. There was a nonchalance about him that made the Duke feel as if he had seen the boy a hundred times before.
The distant made it hard to be sure, but Remus thought the boy would be about the same height as his best servant, slightly taller than he was. He was of a delicate build. No. delicate wasn't the right word, he was to masculine for that. But he definitely wasn't skinny either. High cheekbones, a pale skin with a slight blush. Even through a curtain the boy seemed sinfully handsome. He had a certain air about him that made Remus feel ashamed that he was a duke, while this boy would do so much better on any portrait. What? Just that he could be on a portrait.
'Hum hum.' The little cough startled Remus and the servant shot him a glare. He moved his head to the left to tell him he was to say something. Remus cleared his throat and spoke.
'Mrs. Black, young Mr. Black.' Sirius' head shot up when he was named and stared at the curtain. Then he nervously eyed his mother and returned his gaze back to the ground. Remus noticed he kept his breath. Despite the curtain it had felt as if he stared him right in the eye. There had been a look in the boy's eyes, or at least he thought he saw it, that he couldn't define. He shook his head to get himself back in order.
In a few minutes everything was settled. Sirius would stay in the castle right away. His mother kindly but firm persisted this in a way that made the servants frown and Remus very nervous. Nevertheless it was the look of disgust she threw aside to her son when she 'asked' for this favour that made him decide to do it. Even though the boy was a Black, even though he probably was as spoiled, arrogant and prejudiced as his family was, Remus thought no one was worth to be frowned upon that wa7. Especially not by their own mother.
So it came that she left, leaving an awkward moment of silence when Sirius was left behind on his own in the middle of strange room until the little fat servant ran up to him and escorted him to his new room. Remus left as well with his servant at his side, but he didn't wake up from his thoughts to discuss what had happened before he reached his room.
´What a lovely mother.´ Remus whispered. ´Indeed.' 'I hope he is a bit more kind than his mum.'
'So do I. Otherwise we'll soon have a new boss around here.' The servant mumbled. Remus grinned.
'That would be something..' Remus sighed. 'Imagine that's the kind of woman to go home to and say you didn't get the job. Who knows what she'd do to him! I'm glad I'm provided for life.'
'Oh yes. I hope I'm too.'
Remus poked the boy in his ribs.
'Of course you are. I just hope he's such a success story as you were.
'Thank you. Sir.'
…
The next few days he followed the young man from his window. Soon every movement, smile and facial expression was burned in mind as a book he had read over and over again.
To an outsider it might've looked weird, but as Remus never had a chance to really meet people, this had become his way to get to know them. Still, he had to admit to himself, he had spent more time getting to know the whereabouts of this man than he had ever done before. He blamed it to the surprise Sirius was with a name like that. As well the Sirius as the Black part.
Sirius wasn't the most hardworking servant he had ever had, but he most surely was one of the most enjoyable kind. Remus soon noticed that, although he had the arrogant air and looks from his family, he was actually nothing like them. Alright, he acted more lazy and spoiled than should be expected from a servant, but he had a optimistic disposition and seemed quite kind to everyone in his way.
His mother had been right, Sirius loved nature. But not specifically in a working matter.
He couldn't help but laugh when Sirius stretched himself out on the grass again to rest a little when the groundskeeper came running towards him to get him back to work. Sirius jumped up as if he was stung by a bee and ran towards his unfinished tasks. Still, the gardens had never looked better.
The man worked, ploughed and planted flowers in the soft spring sun. One time Remus scurried back to his own room when Sirius had taken of his shirt, exposing a lean and slightly muscled chest. Blushing lightly Remus closed the door behind him.
Yes, Sirius was a very pleasant completion to the staff. And he clearly wasn't the only one with this opinion. About a week later, Remus had promised himself to stop staring at the gardener but failed miserably, his servant entered his chambers with dinner and a mischievous grin. He placed the plate on the table with an even bigger grin. 'What's with you?' Remus asked in a laugh. 'I am telling you, sir. That Sirius Black is nothing like his family. At all.'
Remus was just about to ask for details when a deafening scream rushed through the castle. 'Spiders! Help! Spiders in my room!' The poor maid was screaming as if her life depended from it. The servant now grinned out loud. 'Your achievement?' Remus informed with what was supposed to be disapproving look. 'Actually, this was the young Mister Black's work.' He smiled widely. 'But I might've slipped the idea in his mind. I better go comfort that poor girl.' He added with a made-serious face.
He quickly left and Remus smiled when the door closed behind him. 'Oh dear James.' He sighed. 'Have you finally found your mischievous equal?'
…
It was dawn. Remus had had his dinner accompanied by no more shouting about spiders but about James and if he couldn't just leave the poor maid alone for once. From his window he let his eyes wander over the grounds. Everything was a perfect shade of blue. His eye got caught by a silhouette strolling over the grass. It was Sirius. His lips curled in a smiled. Apparently he liked to take a walk at this hour. With his hands in his pockets, the young man kicked around some pebbles and stared at the starry sky. It was serene. It was a beautiful, peaceful sight.
The duke frowned when another silhouette emerged from the shadows, slowly approaching the man. Was Sirius meeting some one at this hour? But the dark-haired boy didn't seem to acknowledge the man's (Remus assumed for his broad chest) presence nor seemed to be waiting for anyone. There was probably a cracking branch or something, as Sirius turned around swiftly, eying the other man. For a moment it seemed like Sirius was walking towards the man in recognition. Then he froze in his movement for a second and slowly backed away. Remus could feel his panic in his own body. Something was wrong here. He had seen something like this before.. But where?
The man moved forwards to the other boy and there was something in his movement that was very familiar to Remus. Like some long lost memory.. He leaned closer to the windows in an attempt to get a better view of the intruder when it happened. A fist hit the young man's face hard and his body hit the ground.
'James!' Remus shouted, his eyes still stuck on the ground as the man bended over the motionless body.
'JAMES!'
I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I had a very hard time, as said before, to decide what to happen in this chapter… Promise the next one will come up sooner! Promise promise promise.
